Flu

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discovered in May that an Army biodefense lab in Utah accidentally shipped live samples of anthrax to private and military research facilities in as many as 17 states, Canada, Australia and South Korea over a period of six years. But this error is not the first involving the U.S. government and shipments of deadly germs to unsuspecting scientists. In 2014, the CDC closed two labs and imposed a temporary moratorium on shipping deadly pathogens after a string of incidents. Government facilities have mistakenly sent, mislabeled or lost anthrax, smallpox, botulism, brucella and dangerously contaminated flu viruses in the past. CDC officials...

Related "Flu" Articles

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discovered in May that an Army biodefense lab in Utah accidentally shipped live samples of anthrax to private and military research facilities in as many as 17 states, Canada, Australia and South Korea over a...

There's a new strain of canine flu in the U.S., and it has some pet owners worried about their furry family members.
More than 1,000 dogs caught the illness during a recent outbreak in Chicago, and infections are reportedly emerging in other states,...

The men charged with ridding the farm of a deadly contagion tugged at their dark green protective suits and adjusted the double-intake respirators covering their faces.
"Biosecure. Stop!" read a sign at the farm entrance.
Another sign, in...

H5N2 avian influenza, or bird flu, has reared its head at a commercial egg-laying facility in northwest Iowa that houses as many as 5.3 million chickens, according to state officials.
All the birds in the Osceola County facility will be...

Scientists in China have identified an influenza virus that they say has the potential to spread around the world, sickening and killing people whose immune systems have never faced a threat like it.
The H7N9 flu emerged in humans in eastern China...

A California lawmaker is urging the state to make vaccines mandatory for all adults who work in preschools and day-care centers, a move following the largest measles outbreak in California in 15 years.
“This is not just a common-sense solution but...

Avian flu has been detected among a flock of turkeys at a Central Valley ranch operated by Foster Farms, authorities said.
The influenza virus was found at one of the company's facilities in Stanislaus County. In a statement, the company said no products...

The most recent outbreak of measles, set off by an unvaccinated visitor to Disneyland, may be contained before it spreads too far. With luck, there will be no deaths or serious, long-lasting complications. But it has already sickened more than 30 people...

If you think this year’s flu shot is worthless, think again: People who got vaccinated this fall or winter have been 23% less likely than their unvaccinated peers to come down with a flu-like illness bad enough to send them to the doctor, according to a...

The California Department of Public Health on Friday announced the state’s first influenza death of a person under the age of 65 for the 2014-15 flu season.
The department did not immediately release the age or gender of the person but said the...

Longtime Clippers play-by-play announcer Ralph Lawler had mumbled and slurred speech as he called the game against the Lakers on Wednesday, raising speculation and concern.
The Clippers tweeted that Lawler just had the flu.
"Fans, thanks for your...

Influenza viruses have infiltrated most parts of the United States, with 43 states experiencing “widespread” flu activity and six others reporting “regional” flu activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hawaii was the only...

Deaths due to influenza and pneumonia have hit “epidemic” levels in the U.S. as flu activity became widespread in 36 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Officials reported 837 flu and pneumonia deaths to the CDC through...

Health officials have reported the first death associated with flu in Los Angeles County for the 2014-15 influenza season.
The patient was an elderly woman who lived in the Pomona Valley and suffered from underlying medical conditions, the Los Angeles...

When it comes to developing a seasonal flu vaccine, researchers must take aim at an invisible target.
Not only are flu viruses constantly changing, drug manufacturers need to start producing their vaccines four to six months before the flu season starts....

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a warning for Americans: Get ready for a potentially nasty flu season.
So far this flu season, the influenza strains most active in the U.S. are versions of H3N2 viruses, Dr. Tom...

As nationwide alarm over Ebola begins to fade, hospital officials and public health professionals are trying to ensure that lessons learned don't disappear along with it.
After a Liberian man carrying the disease died last month in a hospital in Dallas...

A common meme to have emerged from concerns about Ebola virus in the United States is for people to “go get a flu shot,” the idea being that the people worry too much about a disease that is of little threat to them (Ebola) and not enough about one that...

There have been no confirmed cases of Ebola so far in Southern California, but anxiety over the disease has taken root.
On Friday morning, health officials in Ventura County quelled rumors of a potential Ebola patient in Thousand Oaks. The patient did...

Could Ebola be the kind of contagion that has ravaged humanity in an entire genre of movies from “The Andromeda Strain” to “Contagion?” Probably not. In all likelihood, it is less likely to kill us than to make us jump at shadows, do dumb things and use...